An Analysis of AI and The Humanities
Paul Jaussen, PhD, heads the Humanities, Social Sciences, and Communication Department in Lawrence Technological University’s College of Arts + Sciences (CoAS) and believes AI has a humanity problem. “AI can produce huge amounts of information,” Jaussen said, “but we need people to give that information context in the historical world.
Human Insight Remains Essential
“AI systems don’t have a sense of the world beyond their internal processes. Humans do. We have to use thoughtful language to ask the right kinds of questions because only humans can determine what it costs to be wrong.”
Big data, “thinking” computers. As this technology expands and evolves, human users are confronted with new ways of asking old questions—about meaning, purpose, and thinking— and the stakes are high. As Jaussen explains, “AI systems have nothing to risk. But we do.”
Some of that risk comes from AI itself, and Jaussen believes humanists, psychologists, communication and policy scholars have essential work in this new world. While AI can create simulations, videos, images, words, and personalities, we must ask, “Why do humans gravitate to them?” Jaussen cited a New York Times study reporting one in five people had a relationship with a chatbot. In an artificially generated world, people can feel disconnected, so for some, AI is a good friend.
“This is one example of the very profound questions raised by AI,” Jaussen states. “As scholars, this should be an object for intense analysis.”
Teaching Digital Literacy Across the Curriculum
Education, particularly higher education, faces a challenge. “How do we get students to distinguish AI-generated information and use it properly, mindfully?” he asks. Teaching critical thinking and analytical skills will be key. HSSC is developing new assignments for all students in the core curriculum to teach digital literacy. They’re asked to write an essay considering the role of AI in the evolution of their own education.
The goal is to become self-reflexive, he said. This theme runs throughout the core curriculum. “We’ve developed new electives in The Ethics of Computing, Robotics and Society, The History of Technology, and the Study of Humanity and Technology.”
“I completely agree with Dr. Nelson (CoAS Dean) [See the Dean’s Letter above] that the more cultural literacy you bring to AI, the more discerning you are, the more effective a tool it will be for you,” said Jaussen.
Inspiring Curiosity, Discovery, and Independent Thought
Technologies are going to come and go. “We can’t double down on one form or iteration of a single technological development. We need to cultivate students who can think critically about technology for the rest of their lives,” he believes.
Ultimately, Jaussen wants students to experience the joy of thinking. Relying on AI to think for you can rob students of the excitement of discovery—including discoveries about AI.
By: Renée Ahee
